What's in a name? In a time of increased recognition of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in our society, university culture centers strive to find names that speak to a broad range of the population they serve. On the Tufts campus, both the Latino Center and the African American Center have gone through - and are still going through - the process of changing their names to foster more inclusive, welcoming environments.
Most recently, the African American Center, located in the Capen House on the corner of Professor's Row and College Avenue, has begun the process of changing its name to the Africana Center.
The name change "began as a discussion among some of the students last year," said Lisa Coleman, the director of the African American Center. "Ultimately this year it came up again with the undergraduate student population."
Since initial discussions concerning the name change began, other representatives of the Tufts community, including faculty and staff members, joined the dialogue. Coleman said the name change is important because it reflects the student population that most often interacts with the center. "We work with students who are living in the US at this time," Coleman said, which includes both American and international students of African descent. "We have such a diverse population," she added.
In recent years, the term "Africana" has become a popular way to describe people of African descent; its users say "Africana" is an inclusive word more appropriate than "African American." According to Coleman, the term "African American" became popular in the past century to describe people of African descent who are also American citizens - a term that restricts its members to "people who are born in the US or whose parents were born in the US."
In contrast, "Africana" refers to people of African descent, no matter where they currently live. "I think it reflects people of African descent all across the globe, in diaspora," said Coleman. In addition, she suggested that "Africana" can also describe "people of African descent who are multiracial."
Coleman said that the newly renamed African American Center will project a greater sense of inclusiveness for Tufts' African and African-American population. "Given that we're working with a student population, depth and breadth are important. [The new name] is to ensure that the way we represent ourselves is the most inclusive that we can be," Coleman said.
Although the new name will not officially go into effect until next semester, Coleman said that brochures directed to Tufts' class of 2005 will feature the new name: "In the very beginning of the year, I will have a series of receptions for students and parents," Coleman added. The receptions, a yearly tradition, will celebrate the center's new name and renewed sense of inclusiveness.
Ruben Salinas Stern, director of the Latino Center, along with Tufts' Latino population, went through a similar name-changing process a few years ago. In December of 1998, the Hispanic American Center was renanmed the Latino Center, a name that Stern, like Coleman, says helps foster a welcoming sense of openness.
"The whole idea of 'Hispanic' came about in the '70s for the census," Stern said. "It's a term that's really just about the US. It's not used anywhere else. 'Hispanic' has a much [greater sense] of assimilation, acceptance. It was never a term that the people used themselves."
Stern said that "Latino," in addition to being a term that Latin Americans prefer, is a term that includes Latin-American people across the hemisphere. "Latinos usually identify with their country," he said. "Latino" is a term that allows diverse groups of Latin Americans - from Mexicans to Puerto Ricans to Cubans - to speak of themselves in reference to the greater Latin American population.
Stern emphasized the importance of the center's name to the Latino student population it serves. The Latino Center interacts, on the most part, with Latino students who grew up in the United States. International Latino students often feel more comfortable within Tufts' international community.
In the November/December 1998 Latino Center newsletter, Stern wrote that "the term Hispanic was initially chosen for the center in order to make a distinction between the Latino students who grew up in this country and the international students who live in Latin America."
Stern said the distinction between these two Latino populations is significant because Latino students from the US often come from different socio-economic backgrounds and have different experiences than international Latino students. In using the term "Latino" instead of "Hispanic" for Latino students from the US, the differences between Latino populations are de-emphasized, allowing for a greater sense of inclusiveness.
Overall, Stern said that the change from the Hispanic American Center to the Latino Center fostered a greater sense of authenticity. "I wanted it to be a term that's much more used by the people, with much more connections with Latin America," he said. "I think it's to try to be more accurate, more inclusive."
Many students say they appreciate the University's commitment to fostering a sense of community within Tufts' diverse student population. "I think anything that recognizes the diversity of the Tufts population is welcome and appreciated," said sophomore Therese del Rosario.
